England selectors announced that Yorkshire pace bowler Liam Plunkett will replace Steven Finn in the 15-man ICC World T20 squad. Finn has a left calf strain and has been withdrawn from the squad for next month’s tournament in India. England leave for India on 8 March and will face Sri Lanka, South Africa, West Indies and a qualifier in the group stages of the tournament. England ICC World T20 squad…
City T20 back on cards as county chiefs get radical
Jos Buttler’s talents could be best exploited in a streamlined competition based around school holidays © Getty Images A city-based T20 competition could be back on the agenda in England and Wales after a group of county chief executives called upon their colleagues to embrace more radical change. It had been presumed that the meeting of the county chief executives at Trent Bridge on Thursday would simply wave through a…
Mature Mahmudullah maneuvers momentum in crunch time
Mahmudullah followed up a key 36 not out with two wickets to ensure Bangladesh defended 133 © Associated Press With seven balls remaining in the Bangladesh innings, the hosts sat precariously on 115 for 7. Mohammad Naveed just claimed Mashrafe Mortaza for a duck four balls earlier and had figures of 2 for 11. With one ball to go in a superb spell, a final dot ball to Mahmudullah would…
Tried too many things on the field – Saurashtra coach
Saurashtra coach Sitanshu Kotak was disappointed with the performance of his batsmen, but said the conditions would have challenged any top-quality batter. © PTI There’s a reason why orthodox fields work. They both demand and reward a good line and length. Repeatedly, however, teams deviate from that template while bowling to a top-order batsman marshalling the tail. Repeatedly, teams suffer, just like Saurashtra did on the third day of the…
Crisis man Lad shows his mettle again
File photo: It was not the first time Siddhesh Lad (right) rescued Mumbai with a late partnership © PTI Lad is a very popular surname within Mumbai’s cricketing circles. Dinesh Lad discovered his passion for coaching by accident, when a friend invited him to train a few youngsters at his academy 25 years ago. Since then, he has mentored young batsmen from the city, the most famous among them being…
Plunkett replaces injured Finn
Steven Finn’s injury-hit winter has continued © AFP Steven Finn has been ruled out of the World T20 in India with a calf strain and Liam Plunkett named as his replacement. More to follow © ESPN Sports Media Ltd. Source: ESPN Crickinfo
Bangladesh bowlers flatten UAE to defend 133
Bangladesh 133 for 8 (Mithun 47, Mahmudullah 36, Naveed 2-12) beat UAE 82 (Usman 30, Mustafizue 2-13, Mashrafe 2-12) by 51 runsScorecard and ball-by-ball details Mahmudullah’s crucial 36 lifted a struggling Bangladesh innings in the death overs. © AFP Like Sri Lanka on Thursday, Bangladesh were given a scare by UAE before their efficient bowling attack led the hosts to an easy win in Mirpur. Mahmudullah’s last-gasp effort with the…
BK Garudachar, India's oldest first-class cricketer, dies aged 99
BK Garudachar, India’s oldest first-class cricketer, who represented Mysore (as Karnataka was called till 1974), United Province and Bombay, died in Bangalore on Friday aged 99. A right-hand batsman and a leg-break bowler, Garudachar scored 1126 runs at an average of 29.63 from 27 matches in first-class cricket between 1935 and 1946. Born on January 13, 1917 in Chikamagalur, Karnataka, Garudachar graduated in engineering from the Benares University, and started…
Female umpires to stand in Women's World T20
Australia are the holders of the Women’s World T20 © Getty Images Two female umpires will officiate at the Women’s World T20 for the first time in the tournament’s history next month, after Kathy Cross and Claire Polosak were named in a 31-person list of officials for the concurrent men’s and women’s events in India. Cross, from New Zealand, has prior experience of an ICC event, having officiated at three…
Mumbai seal 41st Ranji Trophy title with innings win
Mumbai 371 (Iyer 117, Lad 88, Unadkat 4-118) beat Saurashtra 235 (Vasavada 77, Mankad 66, Kulkarni 5-42, Thakur 3-89) and 115 (Pujara 27, Thakur 5-26) by an innings and 21 runsScorecard and ball-by-ball details Play 04:29 ‘Heartening to see young Mumbai players deliver’ – Hattangadi The Ranji Trophy final was delicately poised at the start of the third day. By lunch, it was dead and buried. Mumbai’s first-innings lead was…